Pokemon Panic: MSF
by RYNO IV
Summary: The world has changed. Pokemon are harder to catch than ever before. With bandits and criminal organizations, there are those needed to keep the peace by any means necessary. They are the Militaires Sans Frontières, soldiers without borders. A trainer named Grey with a past of her own works for these people... and Johto is her next destination. The world will change.
1. Prologus

Pokemon Panic: MSF

Prologus

…

_Remember, remember  
The fifth of November  
Gunpowder, treason and plot.  
I see no reason  
Why the gunpowder treason  
Should ever be forgot._

_-Guy Fawkes, 1605_

…

The room was bursting with noise, with yells, jeers, and taunts thrown about with wild abandon. It was dark, with the only the circular stage in the center of the room lit in spotlight. Gym leaders of regions and citizens alike were packed in that room, all here to see one person judged for their unspeakable crime. There were easily five hundred, and with TV cameras hidden off in the darkness, people all over the world would be seeing this.

The noise quieted when a wide hole opened in the stage and a person rose from beneath. His pale hair and skin sharply contrasted with his suit, making him seem even paler in the bright spotlight. He was Steven Stone, and he had a solemn look on his face as he faced the crowd. He took a deep breath and brought a microphone to his lips.

"Citizens," he began, "thank you for coming here. On Christmas Day, a tragedy struck our nations. The MSF-1112 Aigaion was hijacked and sent on a collision course with the New Castelia SkyCity, sending thousands to their deaths. Only one person survived the initial crash and is convicted of causing the incident. As this took place over international waters with entities that had no clear ties to any regions, we must decide what will happen based on our different laws. One such tradition in Unova is that based on prior evidence, even after the sentence is given, the people may intervene if it seems that person is not guilty. So, citizens, based on your knowledge of the evidence, do you feel the sentence is just?"

The room was immediately overtaken in an enraged roar as people screamed at him, cried, mourned, and shouted obscenities. Steven Stone snorted at the reaction, as if he didn't expect anything less.

"Then bring the accused for judgement."

Steven stood back, and the hole in the stage slid open once more. The room went quiet with hushed anticipation as the elevator slowly rose, grinding in its tracks until finally its burden came into view.

A chair came into view, the kind you would see at a dentist's office with an elevated footrest. This one was made out of cold steel with shackles on the armrests, and where the occupant's ankles, waist and neck would go. A woman sat in the thing, lost in a thousand-yard stare.

As soon as she appeared the room exploded.

"Kill that bitch!"

"You deserve worse than death!"

"Murderer!"

The yells continued like this as Steven Stone approached the woman. As he looked down at her, a thought niggled at the back of his mind: Could she really have done this? She was barely into her twenties - could she have really committed this atrocity?

He heard that after her sentencing she was denied any sense of respect. This even included clothes, instead given strips of cloth to cover her modesty in her final moments.

Though it seemed like she was lost in her mind, Steven could see her jaw clenching in humiliation.

His apprehensions of watching his friend die disappeared.

Their childhood memories were cast aside; she deserved everything she was getting.

Public executions were things lost to history, though in this case, it was well justified.

He just wished it hadn't have been _her._

He strode over to the young woman and leaned towards her ear.

"Are you happy?" he hissed. "Did you get your moments of fame? Do you even feel regret, Laura?"

The woman turned her head toward him with most forlorn, hopeless expression he had ever seen in his life.

"…It wasn't me."

He saw her lips move, but her voice was lost to the roaring crowd.

For a moment he felt numb and was almost compelled to believe her… but that was quickly overtaken by contempt, and he snarled down at her as he looked back to the crowd.

"As there are none who wish to vouch for the accused, the execution of Laura Rosewater will proceed," he growled, staring right at her. Her look of utter betrayal sent a dagger through his heart, but he shoved the feeling down with a wave of hatred.

Steven Stone began to rethink humanity when the room erupted into cheers at hearing her final sentence. To think that people would want to see someone die before their eyes…

Then again many people in this room - no, the _world_ had lost someone because of her_._

Steven raised his hand. Once the room quieted somewhat, he yelled to the woman, "You will be exposed to high-intensity antimatter radiation, crystallizing your body. Your mind will be suspended in stasis for seven hundred years, and once your sentence is complete your body will be shattered. Do you have any final words?"

The woman remained silent.

"…Fine. Begin."

Steven Stone stood back as a grinding sound came from the ceiling, hidden in the shadows. A complicated machine slowly came into view, with tubes, hoses, and blinking lights covering its cylindrical body. A pulsing light at the bottom stared at the woman.

This was the emitter, ready to release the deadly energy at a single command.

It continued grinding its way down, stopping only when it was a few feet above the woman.

"Commence charging."

The woman gulped in fear as she stared at the contraption. A low hum filled the room, reverberating in the pit of everyone's gut. Electricity crackled over the device's surface and the lights pulsed.

The hum grew, slowly turning into a high-pitched drone. People covered their ears – restrained as she was, the woman could do no such thing and gritted her teeth to keep from crying out in pain.

Stone snorted as he twisted in his earplugs. She deserved everything she was getting.

Finally the hum stopped and a collective sigh passed through the room. It had been replaced by a quick, quiet throb that sent unease through the crowd.

It was time.

The woman gulped one last time and squeezed her eyes shut, willing her body to stop trembling. It was only when Steven leapt off the stage that the machine fired.

It was strange what happened next. Some people expected a laser. Others expected some kind of flash and for it to be over. However, what they didn't expect was the machine to growl and form a ball of swirling energy in front of the emitter… and right above the woman.

The energy shifted and undulated on itself, a sphere and yet not at the same time. It blurred, seeming to reach out to the crowd one second and the next be contained. It was grey and black, and yet filled with every color imaginable.

It was strange to see such a paradox come to existence before their eyes.

After a few tense seconds of bated breath, it happened.

The woman was unable to resist opening her eyes when the machine fired and was enthralled by the orb of sheer energy before her. She was unaware of the gentle prickling along her skin.

She was unaware that, after several seconds, her skin began to shimmer.

It started with her right knee. First it began glow and quickly settled into a dull, glassy substance. It crept down her leg and spread to her thigh, and her other leg began the process as it traveled to her stomach.

The woman only noticed it happening when she tried to flex her fingers and they refused to obey.

She looked panicked as it traveled up her arms and waist, but found that despite the tingling it didn't hurt.

Letting a final cry of fear she looked to Stone, and once again felt betrayed when he gave her a dark glare. Her sight faded when it spread to her neck and finally over her face.

She wasn't able to see the glare melt into pity.

The emitter gave out one final flash of light, and by the time the onlookers could see again it was done.

The woman was gone… in a way. In the chair was a replica of her, the entire body cast in ethereal, light blue crystal. Light caught the crystalline form and took people's breath away.

It was like a sculptor had taken someone and made a perfect copy of them. However, this wasn't copy and that crystalline sculpture had been a living, breathing woman named Laura Rosewater.

She was a terrorist guilty of killing millions, now trapped in a crystal stasis until the end of the millennia. Yet despite that the sight of the perfect crystalline form was beautiful.

Stone let out a shaky breath, struggling with the hollow feeling that filled his chest. He was supposed to be unaffected by this… but seeing the look on his departed friend's face shook him to his core. It still did, and the expression of shock, guilt, and betrayal would be forever etched on the crystalline statue.

Two men and a teenager in the crowd looked on. One with blonde hair and wearing a combat vest struggled to control himself, while the red-haired teen gritted his teeth. The final man clenched his fists in fury.

All he could see was red as he shoved his way to the stage. This wasn't over.

…

_It felt like I was floating in space. Unable ta move, unable ta think, unable ta even breath. All I could do was watch my memories play out before me like a movie, over and over and over and over again. _

_I don't know how much time has passed. Every second feels like an eternity._

_And this was ta be my fate until the end of days or someone took a hammer to me._

_But I'm getting ahead of myself. My name is Laura Rosewater. Some people call me Ellis or Grey though, take yer pick. Doesn't really matter at this point._

_I suppose that things would make more sense if I start at the beginning. Not the very beginning, of course – that would take too long. No, I'll start six months ago, before things truly went down the shitter._

_My name is Laura Rosewater, and this is my story._


	2. Episode One: Paint It Black

Episode One: Paint It Black

…

_It started about six months ago. If I was more dramatic I'd say it was the beginning of the end. Still, it was a midsummer night, and while people were dreaming I was on a mission._

…

Six Months Earlier

Viridian City, Kanto

It was a cool, dark night in Viridian city. The chill was much preferred to the sweltering heat of the summer day, with the region locked in one of the hottest summers in history. Cars were all but abandoned this evening with their owners' content to stay at home with their AC's cranked on full blast. For them, it was time to suck in as much of the cold before the heat of tomorrow slammed into the city.

One person, however, had a much different goal.

A woman barely a day past twenty stalked the streets, her heavy boots clunking against the concrete with each step. A white collared, sleeveless vest clung to her slim frame, and her tan shorts reached about mid-thigh. She kept her right hand resting on the hilt of the baton holstered at her waist while a black satchel was strapped to her other thigh. Fingerless gloves protected her hands, and a thin choker circled her neck.

Her steely grey eyes scanned the shadows, searching.

Finally stopping at an alleyway, the woman glanced up and down the street – once she was sure that she wasn't being watched she crept into the shadows. She continued walking, going by several buildings in the dirty alley before stopping in a parking lot where trucks would come to deliver their goods. Looking around, she seemed to be at the back of the Pokemon Center.

She flipped open the satchel on her leg, reached in, and pulled out an eyepatch-like device with a camera lens on its front. She slipped it over her left eye.

The eyepiece whined as it came to life, while the woman pulled a Pokeball off her belt and tossed it to the ground. Before her was a fox-like Pokemon with black fur, and it shook itself before looking up at its master.

The woman smiled and got to one knee. "Kit?"

The Pokemon, a Zorua, snapped to attention.

"I need ya to make that distraction we were talkin' about."

Kit nodded.

"Don't get seen, and if ya hear trouble I want you ta get out of there. Got it?"

Another nod.

"Go get'em."

Without another word, Kit slunk off into the shadows and dissolved away.

The eyepiece flickered to life, projecting an image of the alleyway directly into the woman's pupil. She squinted slightly, and was rewarded by the eye piece zooming in like a binocular. Good.

_Focus, _she thought to herself. She cleared her mind, pushing everything that was unnecessary out of her thoughts. The ground, dampness in the air, even her breath seemed to fade away as she steeled herself for what she was about to do.

The satchel began to glow.

The woman's eye was intense as she looked to the top of the building and snapped her fingers. Her satchel pulsed and enveloped her body with swirling energy.

She grunted as she leapt into the air, suddenly weightless. The air thrummed with energy as she closed in on the gaudy sign of the Pokemon Center. She flipped in midair and grabbed it's edge, flipping once more to land on the roof in a crouch and letting the cloud of energy dissipate into the air. All this was done with a nonchalant expression.

With a deep breath she turned to look out over the street.

She could see her objective: the Viridian Gym. There she would find what she needed… but getting there was the problem. The Pokemon Center was the closest building and even then there was a thick cluster of trees between them, spanning nearly half a mile. Jumping through all the branches would cut her speed, and then she wouldn't have enough momentum to get the rest of the way to the gym.

Even if she could jump the distance directly it would still be too far, and walking there would take too long.

However, she could see the answer from here – instead of jumping directly across the small forest she would jump to the left of it, where she could see a guard shack halfway up the road leading to the gym. Well-lit and highly visible with a security camera on all four sides, it was impossible to sneak up on.

But who said she was sneaking?

She lifted her left hand, where a thin bracelet wrapped around her wrist. A small hologram lit up that showed a map of Viridian City with a partially filled bar to the left of it. According to it there was an eighty-six percent charge remaining.

"It'll have ta do."

Now the wait.

She didn't have to wait long.

Not even five minutes later a shadow stabbed through the shack, along with the TV the guard occupied himself with. As he bumbled about in the explosion of sparks and smoke, the woman focused her thoughts and snapped her fingers once more. She took a breath, ran at the edge of the roof and hurled herself into oblivion.

Her breath caught. The wind whistled in her ears. The energy thrummed through her entire body. Ground rushed by beneath her, going too fast to even see how high she was.

With the aid of her anti-gravity device the woman leapt a hundred feet in the span of a few seconds. Gravity slowly began to reassert itself, and by then she was half-way to the guard shack.

The guard was a chubby man whose bulk reminded her of a barrel as he rolled out onto the gravel road, spluttering and hacking from the smoke.

"Who's there?!" he screamed, spinning to try to find the culprit. Just as he was about to look up a shadow blazed across the road, only to dive back into the forest.

The woman smirked as she man spluttered in fury and dived into the brush.

Moments later she touched down on the roof of the shack, quietly absorbing the impact in a deep crouch. Looking at the energy gauge told her she had just over a half-charge remaining. She didn't know if it would last… but like before it would simply have to do. At least she had already crossed about half the distance.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to focus once again. Gradually everything around her bled away – sound, feeling, even her own thoughts faded.

The satchel whined and glowed brightly.

With a massive grunt she leapt into the air, a feat seemingly superhuman. Trees whooshed by beneath her as she tucked her legs up, and the ground was nearly fifty feet below. All there was in that moment was the air rushing by and the Gym as it steadily came closer.

Just then her bracelet gave a beep. A quick look at it told her that there was only twenty-five percent power remaining.

_Shit!_

She tucked her legs and arms in, becoming a human cannonball. While it made her go faster it ate up the power even more.

Twenty percent remaining.

Blinking to clear away the tears from the cold air, she saw that the Gym was only a hundred feet away.

Fifteen percent remaining.

Even with the speed she still had, the arc of her jump would make her smash against the side of the building. She squeezed her eyes shut focused all her willpower on getting higher.

The satchel gave a throbbing whine as it tried to comply.

Five percent remaining, and only twenty feet away.

It was then that the anti-gravity finally gave out with an angry bleep. The woman gasped when the energy surrounding her suddenly evaporated, and braced her body for the landing.

That last lift had done the trick, her feet clearing the lip of the roof by mere inches. As soon as she touched down she tucked her legs in, absorbing the energy of the impact as she rolled for several feet before stopping in a crouch.

She let out a long-held breath and pressed a finger to her choker.

"Base, this is Grey. I've reached the starting point."

As she waited she looked around, and all she could see was the AC unit for the ventilation, antennas, and the exit for the roof, conveniently right in front of her.

The lone earbud jammed in her ear crackled to life.

"_Grey, this is base. Finally getting back to us, eh?"_ they responded. The voice was rough like gravel, brought on through years of chain-smoking and booze.

She frowned at his minor slur. "Have ya been drinkin' again, old man?"

The man on the other end was also her commander.

"_Watch it, girlie. I can fire your ass."_

"Just try it, old man. I'll shove that cigarette right up yer wrinkled old butt."

There was a pause as the voice on the other end put out the cigarette he was smoking.

"_Have you reached the starting point?"_

Grey rolled her eyes. "Didn't I just say that, old man?"

"_Use my callsign, girlie."_

She shook her head and barely managed to contain her growl. "…_Ojiisan," _she gritted out. "And _yes_, I've reached the starting point."

"_No need to get short. Sending you the data now."_

The eyepiece beeped as it downloaded the info and lit up the entry point. Surprisingly it wasn't the door, but rather the maintenance hatch for the AC unit. It led directly to the ventilation system, which she could see through the building itself – while they looked nothing more than a spider-webbing tunnels from here, they led to every part of the building.

Still, Grey couldn't help but sigh at the cliché.

"Really, Ojiisan? The air ducts? That's been done, like, a million times."

"_Shut it, it's a classic. Anyway, the route you need to take will show on-screen. Get in there and get your Solid Eye into their system. It'll do the rest. Make sure to leave no traces. After that, get out."_

"That'll be a problem, Ojiisan," she said quietly, looking down at her holographic map. The energy meter flashed just above empty.

"I've only got a three percent charge, and I need the last bit ta power my Solid Eye."

"_Hmm…"_

She could practically see him stroke his moustache in thought.

"_Cut communications and let it recharge. It needs to be at least fifteen percent to engage, so don't open contact unless absolutely necessary, you hear me?"_

"Yessir."

"_Good. If this thing goes south you'll need a quick exit. Good luck, Grey. Over and out."_

"Yessir... wait, quick question."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end.

"…_Yes?"_

Grey smirked. "Ya do realize that Ojiisan means gramps in Johtoan, right?"

There was a long pause, with nothing but the static to fill the silence.

"…_Brat."_

With that the connection cut. She was alone.

Grey didn't waste any time as she slunk over to the AC unit. The Solid Eye scanned the panel, and displayed that it would be impossible to remove by hand. She had no other Pokemon so she would have to find another way to get into the ventilation system.

She reached into her belt and pulled out a knife, and sunk the six-inch blade into the flimsy metal. Within seconds she had ripped through the thin metal like it was tin foil, and the grating fell at her feet. Now that the grate was out of the way, she had to face her new problem.

The vents were not made for a person – while there were certainly sections wide enough for a worker to work on the rotors used to push the air through the building, it wasn't meant for someone to just slip through.

Mission Impossible was just a movie, after all.

Grey sighed as she slid off her baton and boots, and strapped her satchel to the small of her back. Shivering as her bare feet hit the cold roof, she hid her gear under the AC unit and faced her challenge with trepidation.

…

Four guards were seated around a table in the darkened storage room, each suspiciously eyeing their cards. The poker game they had simply played for sport earlier in the evening had turned into no-holds-barred deathmatch.

The pot?

Pot… as well as a handful of dirty magazines. New ones too, with pages that weren't all stuck together.

One of the guards, one with a pseudo-afro, glared at his "buddies."

"I call," he said, throwing in a packet of weed.

Another guard, a nervous man with a thick pair of glasses, gulped and threw his cards down. "Fold."

The third guard, a beefy man with a bald head and ruddy complexion, tossed in a few bucks. "Raise."

Finally it was the fourth's turn. He strangely resembled a Sandshrew, with a gaunt face and buckteeth. He proudly showed them off with a huge grin as he pushed in several packets of weed, a magazine, and over a hundred bucks.

"Raise," he sang.

The other two guards groaned and threw down their hand.

"Dammit, got me again," the Ruddy Man rumbled.

The Shrew cackled as he pulled in the entire pot, adding it to his ever-increasing collection on the floor.

The Nervous Man straightened his glasses and timidly asked, "W-what _did_ you have?"

The Shrew's cackles grew louder as he proudly threw his hand on the table. His buddies immediately gasped and leaned towards them, rubbing their eyes to make sure they knew what they were seeing.

"Th… that's not a hand at all!" Afro-Man shouted. "You swindled us!"

Still cackling, the Shrew shrugged and said, "Its poker, friend. You gotta bluff!"

"You sonuvabitch!"

With that the Ruddy Man reached across the table, grabbed the shrew by his uniform and slugged him across the jaw. The Shrew careened into Afro-Man and turned to slug him too, just as Ruddy tripped and fell on Glasses.

Soon, all four were throwing fists at each other.

"Rgh… uhn… hlk… nhmm…"

Quiet, muffled grunts echoed through the ventilation of the Gym, which went unnoticed by the brawling guards. The shaft just happened to meander through the improvised poker room, giving the intruder a nice, clear view of the scuffle below. And a good view of what they wore.

The intruder paused to aim her Solid Eye and took a picture.

"Rockets… so the intelligence was right, they're still around. But why're they still here? Their boss left two years ago…"

Seeing as she wasn't going to find the answers crammed in the vents with her, she continued on, following the holographic line before her. Though it was pitch-black in the vent, she could see through the night vision her Solid Eye was equipped with.

Grey realized that this wasn't Mission Impossible… but this was just plain ridiculous. The architect of the Gym who thought it was okay to put in vents as small as this must've been higher than a kite – surely the prick should've realized that sooner or later an actual person would've had to come through to clean.

After several minutes of wiggling along she paused to catch her breath. Hell, even her _boobs_ were suffocating her.

"Ugh… now I know what a TV dinner feels like," she groaned, eyeing how much farther she still had to go. While the room itself was only twenty feet away, she still had to slither through at least another fiftyfeet of ventilation to get there.

Grey snarled as the collar of her vest snagged on a bolt and yanked it free… and in the process tore a hole in it.

"'Come out ta Kanto, we'll get together, have a few laughs,'" she said mockingly, recalling when her commander called her over to Celadon and asked for a "favor."

She wished she had thrown him right off the roof of the department store. Sure, he was her boss, but he was an ass for calling her out from training her team for a "smash-and-grab" infiltration job. She was sure he had the definitions wrong.

Then again this was turning out to be her specialty. And she had a particular talent for squirming her way through air ducts.

She passed over another vent, letting her see into the halls of the Gym below. The grand, Romanesque halls were dark and deserted, aside from a few patrolling Rockets with flashlights. That puzzled her more than anything else, since the new Gym Leader was still in town and she knew for a fact that Giovanni had disbanded the criminal group before disappearing into the wild blue yonder.

Grey grimaced. This whole thing smelled fishy.

Speaking of smells…

"Ugh, smells like somthin' crawled up a Muk's butt an' _died_," she complained, looking into another vent as she crawled over it. Much to her dismay the ungodly stench was coming from the men's bathroom.

_Frickin' typical_, she thought to herself, turning right at an intersection. Finally her goal lay just ahead, highlighted by the thin, holographic line. Instead of continuing on into the shadowy darkness, it dove straight down into the room below.

She smiled.

_Jackpot_.

Grey grunted as she shifted herself forward, stopping just short of the vent. She gripped the slats and gently pressed against it, pushing harder until it released.

She edged her way forward until her body hung from the vent. There were no guards in the room from what she could tell.

Carefully letting the vent cover hang from its hinges, she gripped the edge of the vent and shimmied her legs out. After a harrowing moment of being unable to un-stick herself, she gently lowered herself until she hung only by her fingers.

She gulped. _Moment of truth…_

Grey let go, dropping to the ground with a soft thud. She bent her knees to absorb the drop and hunched there for several seconds to listen for any rushing feet of guards.

There were none, and Grey let out a breath she didn't she'd been holding.

The room she had landed in was the main office of the Gym Leader himself, and so everything in it was lavish. She could see that even in the dim lighting. A thick red carpet covered every inch of the floor, with teak paneling on the walls and arched windows that reached all the way up to the ceiling. Bookshelves lined the wall with the door, while the right had twin china hutches and a grandfather clock that _tick-tocked_ in the darkness.

Strangely, the left-hand wall was completely barren.

Grey approached the massive desk, strangely unadorned. The new Leader had the same neat freak habits as the old one, it seemed.

She couldn't help but give the former Rocket boss some credit – he was ruthless, cynical and stubborn as hell… but he had taste.

Looking all over the desk and finding nothing, Grey jiggled the drawers only to find they were locked. The only clue she had to go on the clear pane of glass jutting out of the desk, a semi-holographic monitor for the computer contained within. Still, no matter where she looked there wasn't any power button or even a keyboard. Even if it was in one of the drawers she wouldn't be able to get at it.

While it was true one could learn how to pick a lock, she certainly didn't know how to. In a fit of desperation she felt around the desk, following every cheap trick in the spy flick manual.

There had to be some way to…

Wait – just under the lip of the desk was a small indent. She could feel a button right there.

"Is it that simple?" Grey asked herself. She shrugged.

"Aw, hell. Here goes."

She pushed the button. The monitor instantly came to life, going through the stages of a computer coming to life. The Solid Eye bleeped as it detected the computer's signal, and even as it booted the Eye got to work on extracting every bit of data in it. A progress bar lit up just below her line of vision, though it was ignored as her eyes flicked over every inch of the room.

Grey nervously glanced around as an uneasy feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. The unease she felt from in the vents did nothing to help matters, and even as the upload hit the halfway mark she was looking around the room like a caged animal.

She shook herself – what the hell was _wrong_ with her? No one knew she was here, and no one ever would. All she needed to do was jump back up into the vent and shimmy her way back to the roof once she got what she needed. A quick, gravity-defying jump from the roof into the nearby woods, reach the extraction point, and she'd be gone. The plan was flawless.

The entire mission would only last another twenty minutes if she kept to the schedule.

Shaking, Grey rubbed her arms and ignored the feeling of the hairs rising on the back of her neck.

Two-thirds full.

"Seriously, guys," she murmured to herself. "Seriously. Get a hold of yerself, it's all in yer head. Mm-hmm. That's right, it's all in yer head. There ain't nothing here, there ain't a Gastly that's going to jump out and murder yer face. Nope. Nuh-uh. It's all in yer head. It's all-"

She froze when she heard something. For several seconds there was nothing but silence and the oppressive darkness squeezing the life out of her chest. Grey let out a shaky breath-

And there it was again. A cold pit of dread formed in her gut as she realized it was people muttering to themselves.

Right outside the door.

Before she could react the door burst open, letting in a flood of Rocket grunts that spread in a loose semi-circle around the large room. They completely blocked her escape, but what was worse was that a panel slid open on the barren wall… and gave her a view of even _more_ grunts. There were at least fifteen of the goons.

Grey grimaced as the lights flickered on and blinded her.

She heard a man walk in, his shoes clacking on the exposed wood.

"Well well, we seem to have caught a long-lost bird," he said. "Shall the cat feast, or save the bird for later? I wonder…"

The man that the voice belonged to smirked.

"Ms. Rosewater… or Laura, which do you prefer?"

Grey's eyes readjusted, and were met with a sight she'd hoped to never see again. A man wearing a fine suit and an overcoat stood before her, a pleasant expression on his face. He was flanked by another man wearing purple cargo pants and a black shirt.

"Oh, shit," she snarled. "Not _you_ again."

* * *

_Who can find the Shakespeare reference? Hope this was worth the wait, guys. It was enjoyable for me to write, and I hope it was enjoyable to read._

'_Till later,_

_-RYNO_


	3. Episode Two: Unfriendly Persuasion

Episode Two: Unfriendly Persuasion

…

_The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world._

_-G-Man, Half-Life 2_

…

Viridian City Gym

Several minutes before

Just outside the front of the gym Gym stood a man, an unreadable look on his face as he peered through his thermal goggles. Dressed in a fine suit and an overcoat, the bulky headgear seemed out of place as he watched the red and yellow form of his prey drop into one of the many rooms of the center.

"How long is this going to take?" an impatient voice demanded. "I have somewhere to be."

The finely-dressed man turned to his companion – a spiky mess of brown hair decorated the man's head, and he was dressed in a black shirt with purple cargo pants. A pendant on a string wildly swung back and forth as he paced. Even standing under a thick tree blocking the light of the moon, the man could see the impatient grimace on his companion's face. Still, despite his attitude they both knew they were needed here.

The finely-dressed man couldn't help but smirk.

"Patience, Green," he said, flicking a bit of his long, silvery hair over his shoulder. "One would think that a Gym Leader would be able to tolerate boredom more than this."

Green, the leader of the Viridian Gym, gritted his teeth. Ever since this man had approached him that morning to tell him that he needed his facility, Green was tempted to unleash Rhydon on his ass. However, the legion of Rockets at his heels dissuaded any argument. Besides discretion was necessary. If the authorities ever found out that the previous Viridian Gym Leader controlled Team Rocket, the Pokemon Association might pull the entire Viridian Gym from existance. He himself would be in trouble for trying to hide it, and even by unwillingly helping them would cost him his title and respect at best. At worst, he'd be in prison and the entire city would be shamed.

Having two leaders in a row that had ties to the Rockets didn't do much for one's reputation, after all.

Jamming his hands in his pockets, Green glared at the silver-haired man beside him. There was something about him that just seemed… off. He had an air to him – just looking at the guy's easy smile was enough to send chills down his spine. He was more dangerous than he seemed.

"I still don't know why you needed me here anyway," Green growled. "You damn Rockets already have me under your thumb, did you really have to rub it in my face?"

"Sometimes a reminder of who's in charge is necessary, Mr. Green," the man replied, tucking his hands in his pockets.

Green's eye twitched. "Whatever. What do I call you anyway, I'm sure you'd mind 'asshole.'"

The man snorted. "Just call me… Mr. Silver."

Mr. Silver watched as the intruder cautiously tiptoed around the room and being careful not to make any sound. She was doing a good job too – not even the Rockets he had planted throughout the Gym noticed her presence. Going through the vents was certainly an ingenious move, one he hadn't planned on… but could work with, nonetheless.

He pulled off the headgear and carelessly tossed it to the ground, plucking a radio out of his pocket. He motioned for Green to follow him as he strode to the doors.

Ignoring the Gym Leader's grumbling he said into the radio, "Teams one and two, converge on the office. Be absolutely careful not to make a sound. Three through eight, disperse throughout the Gym and block all exits."

"This is our first reunion in two years," he continued. "I'd hate for something to spoil it."

Squads of goons in black uniforms rushed through the doors of the Gym, quickly followed by Green and Mr. Silver. Walking through the grand halls of the darkened Gym and watching it fill with Rocket grunts sent chills running down Blue's spine, as if he himself were being violated.

Sensing his discomfort, Mr. Silver reassured him, "At ease, Mr. Green. We'll be gone shortly if all goes well."

Green scowled and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Why do you want this chick so bad that you'll hijack a Gym to get her?"

"She's simply an important asset," Mr. Silver said, not looking at Blue as they climbed a staircase up to the second floor.

"The 'Gym hijack' as you call it was simply a coincidence," he continued. "Even if she were in the Indigo Plateau we would've pursued her."

Green frowned as he stared at Mr. Silver's back. "That doesn't explain why you need her. Why are you-"

He was interrupted when Mr. Silver held up a finger, stopping him. "Now now, Mr. Green," he said tauntingly, as if to a child, "that's enough questions for now. Have you never heard the saying, 'curiosity killed the Glameow'?"

They were passing by a window just then, bathing them in the soft moonlight. Anyone could see the fury on Green's face as he yanked back on Silver's shoulder and spun him around to grab him by his lapels.

"Don't you _dare_ threaten me in my own Gym," he hissed.

Mr. Silver was undaunted by the furious man before him. "I'm not threatening you, per se," he calmly said. "I just mean that it would be unfortunate for your woman to have an accident."

Green felt like he's just been punched in the gut. "Wh-what? What're you talking about?! You… you know about May?!"

Mr. Silver brushed Blue's hands away as if they were dust. He turned and said, "Why wouldn't I? Don't be naïve, it would be foolish _not_ to use all means necessary to ensure cooperation. Remember that, Mr. Green."

Green stood there for several moments, his mind whirling. One part of him screamed to run, find the police and get backup to grind these renegade Rockets into dust.

But… another part screamed, as well. It screamed to ensure she remain safe, by any means necessary. Even if it meant flushing his morals down the proverbial toilet and helping Rockets achieve their plans.

He gritted his teeth one final time, squeezing his eyes shut… and when he opened them once more they were dead, flat. With his chest feeling hollow, Green willed his legs to move and follow Mr. Silver.

…

"Oh, shit."

Mr. Silver stepped past his line of grunts, a smirk on his face. "Oh, yes. It's been a while, Ms. Rosewater."

Grey snarled, legs bent to run. She looked like a cornered animal.

"Save it," she snapped. "Why the hell are _you_ here?"

He laughed. "Oh, Laura… wait, was it Grey now? Or do you still go by Ellis?"

Grey growled.

Mr. Silver laughed again. "At any rate Ms. Rosewater, I'm here to do what I've always done – apprehend you."

Grey smirked, eyeing the grunts as she edged back. The nearest grunts were nearly fifteen feet away, and she could easily leap out the window if she needed to. She didn't want to if she didn't have to, it was a long way down. Besides, the upload was almost complete.

It only needed another minute.

"What, yer still bent on kidnappin' me?" she asked, buying time. "Ya get off on masochism or somethin'? 'Cause you've never been able ta do it before."

Mr. Silver smirked and walked towards the desk. "Ah, I have captured you before, but your friends always seemed to get in the way. You're without them this time. You're alone."

Grey backed away with every step Mr. Silver took, a heart-pounding cocktail of fear, excitement, and adrenaline filling her.

An impatient voice sounded from behind Mr. Silver. "Oh geez, stop playing around. Just grab her and get the hell out of here, I'm tired of dealing with you Rockets."

Grey looked around Silver and took another look at the man with him. To her shock and dismay it was the leader of the Viridian Gym, Green. Though uncomfortable, he seemed unthreatened by the Rockets around him.

"Yer workin' with'em?" she breathed, her voice barely a whisper.

Green went to speak, but Mr. Silver beat him to the punch.

"He is," he said. "Unwilling though he may be, he's my ally. And your enemy. The odds just seem to be against you this time, Ms. Rosewater. Why don't you just come along quietly, now?"

Mr. Silver reached the desk, and leaned on it with an almost casual air. The focused, menacing look in his eyes were anything but casual, however. They hungrily bored into her, seeming to strip her down to her soul.

His intensity made her shiver.

Pressing against the window, Grey looked at her options. With the grunts surrounding her she couldn't run. Yet with Mr. Silver right in front of her, she _needed _to run. And with Blue backing him up, a straight-up fight was impossible even if she had her Pokemon. He wasn't a gym leader for nothing.

What she needed was a distraction.

There was a skritching on the glass behind her. The sound made her smile.

The upload finished with a quiet _ping _in her ear.

"Hey, Silver."

He looked at her, victory in his eyes.

"Who says I'm alone?"

Grey stepped to the side, out of the way of the windows. She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers.

Three things happened – tendrils of shadow that shot through the windows, covering Mr. Silver, Green, and the Rocket stooges with broken glass. Second was the lights, which were stabbed by the tendrils and plunging everything into darkness. Third, Grey was enveloped in a cloud of energy.

The Rockets shouted in the sudden darkness, too busy shoving each other to notice Grey as she drifted into the air. Blood trickled from a cut across Silver's forehead, which he ignored as he vaulted over the desk and tried to grab her leg, but missed when she kicked off the wall behind her. As she careened over the heads of the goons, Green could only watch her in astonishment as she flew right out the door.

She landed on the wall out in the hall, legs bent to jump again.

Grey took off down the right-hand hallway like a shot.

Green growled in frustration, but whether it was directed at the grunts or the girl for wasting more of his time, it wasn't certain.

"Dammit! Get after her, she's heading for the roof!" he shouted, elbowing past grunts.

He charged out of the room, not even waiting for the bumbling Rockets. When they did follow it was in a massive stampede, and their pounding feet echoed all throughout the gym. The only one who was left was Mr. Silver.

Wiping blood from his forehead with handkerchief, he sighed as he looked around the demolished room – the grand windows were completely shattered, books had been ripped from their shelves, pages had been strewn about the room. There was even a massive gash in the desk from one of the tendrils, slicing the holographic monitor cleanly in half.

The room had been reduced to ruins in the span of a single minute.

"Forgive me, Giovanni," he said quietly, giving a respectful bow.

With that he spun on his heel and headed out of the room. However, instead of heading right he turned left, heading for the front door. A smirk tweaked his lips as he pictured the plan in his mind.

What even he didn't notice, however, was the small, billowing shadow that hurtled out of the room, keeping to the floor and shadowed corners as it headed towards the roof.

…

Grey ran headlong through the darkened halls of the gym, feet slapping against the carpet and her lungs billowing air. The only thing that lit her way was the occasional moon-lit window and the map her bracelet projected.

Still, despite being chased by a horde of Rocket grunts, a Gym Leader, and even her nemesis, she couldn't help the trill of excitement that rushed through her.

She shot a glare over her shoulder when she heard a yip behind her, and saw her Zorua running alongside with a wide grin on her face.

"Kit!" she scolded. "I told ya to get outta here if there was trouble! Bad girl!"

Kit didn't look guilty at all – in fact she seemed rather pleased with herself.

Despite her words Grey smirked. "Thanks Kit!"

Her Zorua yipped in reply.

They sprinted around a corner without breaking stride, running even faster when they heard the not-so-distant yells behind them. Seeing that it was another long corridor, one with an entire wall of windows, Grey checked her energy gauge in the bright moonlight.

During her little excursion in the vents the energy had built all the way back to 70 percent. The four second jump used to get out of the office had knocked it back down to just under half. Growling, Grey pressed a finger to her choker.

"MSF base, this is Grey! Mission was a bust, I need an emergency extraction. Prioritization code Mike Charlie one-one-seven dash two-three."

For a long, tense second Grey thought her signal didn't reach them, but was relieved when her earpiece crackled.

That relief quickly vanished.

"_Agent Grey, this is MSF base. Please restate your prioritization code,"_ the dull, dry voice of a woman said, not even seeming to be interested in what Grey was saying.

Grey growled at hearing the voice of the most incompetent mission handler in the entire universe, but stopped mid-retort when a trio of grunts burst out into the hall ahead of her. They were looking around in confusion before seeing her rushing at them, and when they did they grinned and pulled out batons.

She couldn't help but give an evil chuckle.

"Kit," she called out as she ran, "get ready!"

"_I'm sorry, that isn't the correct code I have. Can you please state your code?"_ the voice impatiently asked.

With a Cheshire grin, Kit's eyes glowed blood red as she called the shadows around her. They flowed like smoke, eerily drifting across the floor as they ran by and seconds later a blob of sinuous, undulating black was billowing along at Kit's feet.

The Rocket grunt gave a battle cry as they rushed at them, batons ready to swing.

Grey smirked and shouted, "Kit, _freak'em!"_

"_That isn't the code either."_

"Just shut up and send the frickin' VTOL!" Grey snapped.

The line went dead.

"Bitch!"

Kit dashed ahead of her fuming Meister, her high-pitched howl echoing throughout the gym as the shadows morphed over her body. At first all the Rockets saw was a ball of black hurtling at them – the next second, the harmless little Zorua had transformed into a seven foot tall _demon_ with unnaturally long arms, blade-like claws, skin dark as pitch and gleaming red eyes.

"What the hell is tha-_AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"_

The Rockets screeched to a stop and scrambled to run the other way, screaming at the top of their lungs in utter terror. If anyone had been watching from outside they would've seen a trio of thugs running from a girl and her pet demon, who were being chased themselves by a horde of Rockets not even thirty feet behind.

It seemed the circus had decided to visit Viridian.

Grey saw the door they needed to take along the wall. She yelled at the top of her lungs and was gratified when the Rockets ran even faster… and right by the door to the roof. The illusion blew away from around Kit like smoke as she slid into her shadow and under the door, opening it from the inside for her trainer. Grey shouldered it open with a bang and slammed it shut behind her.

The roof access was conjoined with a small maintenance room. There were exposed pipes jutting out of the wall, with a workbench opposite the door and a spiraling metal staircase to the roof in the corner. She glanced around at the workbench and grabbed a long, heavy wrench.

She jammed the tool under the doorknob, and not even three seconds later the door boomed when a grunt tried to barge through.

Sighing in relief at the angry yelling from outside, Grey smiled at the Zorua panting at her side.

"Thanks, Kit. Good job."

Kit bristled with pride and rubbed against her master's leg.

Grey paused to pat her Pokemon's head before turning to the staircase. "Well, here we go," she muttered. She began to climb, ignoring the enraged shouts from the Rockets.

…

"I hate stairs… stairs suck... stairs can… kiss my ass…"

Grey groaned at every step, her legs burning from climbing so fast. It wasn't as if she wasn't fit, not at all – on the contrary, the maintenance stairway was made extremely steep with only utility in mind. It was proving to be quite the workout. However, the real problem wasn't that she had only been climbing for two minutes and had one floor to go, but she also needed to get to where the evac was supposed to be.

That being said…

She stopped, leaning against the railing as she heaved. Grey pressed a finger to her choker and said, "MSF base, this is Grey. I need an emergency evac right frickin' _now._"

The line was silent.

Taking another step and groaning from the pain in her legs, Grey waited a moment longer before snarling, "Daisy, you bitch! If you don't pick up I'm gonna-"

"_While it might be funny to hear just how you'll maim my secretary,_" the gravelly voice said, "_it wouldn't be very professional."_

Grey grinned. "Ojiisan!" she said with relief.

"_The one and only."_

"Shut up, old man. I need an exit."

"_Already sent it to extraction point bravo. Were you found?"_

She was about to reply when she heard a loud bang come from the maintenance room below, one that shook the entire building.

"Sorry Gramps, can't yak right now. Got a horde of goons on my ass," she said. Her exhaustion was forgotten as she sprinted up the last of the stairway and shouldered her way through the door at the top, glancing around before sprinting at the AC unit where she stashed her gear.

Grey shouted over her shoulder, "Kit! Wreck the door!"

Kit willingly obeyed, creating a whip of shadows that she smashed across the rooftop door. It buckled inward and didn't look like it would open anytime soon.

She snatched her boots and baton from under the unit and wrenched them on. Just as she had begun to tie her boots the door boomed from a Grunt running into it, not noticing the damage it had taken. Grey could hear their frustrated yells and curses.

Grey finished and spun on her heel, running to the side of the building with panic roiling in her gut. The Viridian Forest was the closest from the ledge, though when she peered over the edge she reeled back from the vertigo.

"Ugh," she groaned, feeling sick. "Long frickin' way down…"

Four stories was taller than it seemed.

Nervously looking to the ground and then the rooftop access, Grey grimaced as she swung her legs over the railing and clung onto the ledge for dear life. Kit saw what her master was doing and hopped up on her shoulder, giving her a determined nod.

Grey nodded back, then steeled herself for what she was she was about to do.

"This is crazy, this is crazy, this is frickin' crazy… Aw, screw it. Here we-"

She was interrupted when the rooftop door was blown off its hinges in a plume of smoke and the horde poured out onto the roof, covered in grey concrete dust. They looked around in blind confusion before one spotted her.

"Hey, there she is!"

They rushed towards her in a single mob, batons raised.

"Stop right there!" she shouted over her shoulder. "I'll jump!"

The Rockets stopped in their tracks. They were well-known criminals, so their prey always surrendered when they saw them. Apparently none of their victims had threatened suicide.

"No you won't," a voice snapped. "You're too full of yourself."

The Viridian Gym leader strode out of the smoke with a Scizor close behind. Even through the concrete dust covering him, he had the iciest glare Grey had ever seen.

Still, Grey couldn't help but give a nervous grin. "Yo, nice Scizor ya got there."

He ignored her as he growled, "_Sneaking in_ through the vents. _Trashing_ my office. Making a _mockery_ of me. Even if I didn't want this, do you really think I'd let you get away scot-free? Don't flatter yourself."

Grey opened her mouth to retort, but stopped when she realized what she said. "Wait, ya didn't want ta work with them?"

The Rockets glanced back and forth between them.

"Of course I didn't want this," Green snapped irritably. "Do you really think any self-respecting gym leader would _willingly_ work with them?! The Rockets can go to hell for all I care! But I have to, or…"

He trailed off, swallowing his desperation as he gritted teeth. "It doesn't matter, if catching you appeases them I have to do it. So just come along quietly."

Grey looked down in thought, seemingly staring into space. The Rockets stared at Green in confusion, fury, or downright contempt after hearing his words, and more than a few looked like they wanted to attack him.

After several seconds of silence, Grey looked back up at Green and gave him a sad smile. "Sorry dude, but I got my own shit ta deal with. As long as ya helped'em they shouldn't give ya any trouble. Later."

With a jaunty wave Grey pitched herself off the building, leaving the Rockets behind to yell in shock. Her last glimpse of Green was surprising – though he was as shocked as the Rockets, he also looked relieved at seeing her get away.

As for Grey, her heart leapt to her throat as she plummeted to the ground. The neatly trimmed grass jumped at her faster than she expected, and she yelped as she snapped her fingers one last time.

Her satchel gave a high-pitched scream as it struggled to push out all its energy in one go, enveloping her in a cloud of roiling blue energy. It almost instantly cut her fall, though she nearly threw up when she realized she was only a few feet above the ground itself.

Grey managed to keep her composure as the satchel gave an angry bleep and cut the anti-gravity field, and she dropped to the ground in an easy crouch. She could hear the Rockets shouting they looked down at her.

With that she stood and jogged to the darkened forest, Kit following close behind as she threw a wave over her shoulder and shouted back, "_Tell her hi for me!"_

Green stared after her with his mouth hanging open, and as she disappeared into the trees one of the Rockets turned to him. "So what should we do, boss? Do we go after her?"

_Boss?_

Green shook his head. "No, the forest is too thick. Unless you know exactly where you're going, you get completely lost in no time. She was organized and knew exactly where to get in, so I'm guessing she has an escape route planned beforehand. You'd be better off cutting your losses and getting the hell out of my gym."

The Rocket snorted, and even from under the cap that shadowed the goon's face Green could feel his glare.

"Don't get too full of yourself, when our Boss comes back he'll be taking back his gym. By force if he needs to. Let's go, guys."

The Rockets turned and left, their feet clattering on the metal stairway. Soon Green was left alone on the roof.

He sighed and leaned against the railing, suddenly feeling very, very tired. _Whoever you are, girl, I hope Team Rocket never catches up to you._

…

Twenty minutes later

Viridian Forest was an old place. It was there long before humans ever were, full of Pokemon that evolved, adapted, and died over thousands of years. It had seen countless sunny days, storms and brush fires. It's trees, though much shorter than trees of places like Ilex Forest, had adapted to be much stronger. They had evolved to the point that even clearcutting machines and chainsaws wore out or broke within days. The small chunk that made up Viridian City had costed tenfold more to clear than anyone thought.

It was why hardly any paths had been made to Pewter City, it was easier to simply charter a plane.

"Goddamn sonuvabitch!"

It was also why Grey was stumbling around in the dark, tripping on bramble. She wrenched her foot out from where it was wedged under a root and slammed it into the offending tree, only to yelp and hold her injured toes in pain. In her jumping around she tripped over yet _another _root and fell flat on her butt.

She groaned and lay there, chest heaving from pushing her way through all the bushes, branches and angry Zubat that didn't like her presence. Their teeth were like needles.

"This is ridiculous," she mumbled, wincing from a small bite wound on her arm.

Kit, who had been struggling alongside her master, chirruped and rubbed her head against Grey's shoulder.

Grey smiled. "I'm good, just need ta catch my breath."

She breathed in the damp, woody smell of the forest. It was dusty, and she could smell years and years of pine needles. The age brought a smile to her face.

This forest would be here long after she left this world.

She brought her wrist to her face and tapped her bracelet, bringing up the holo-map. She was about half a mile into the hellish forest, and still had another quarter to go before she reached a clearing. That's where the pick-up was.

Just then a loud, hollow drone echoed from above, making her look up.

_Speak of the devil…_

Grey leapt to her feet, energy once again filling her. "Alright Kit, there's our ride. Let's get goin'."

She took off towards the clearing, jumping over logs and bushes that she could mostly see through her Solid Eye. Still, the damn thing was starting to hurt from pressing against her eye socket.

The drone wound down as the VTOL reached the clearing.

"We're almost home, Kit!" she said joyfully. Kit barked in excitement.

"Not quite."

A man stepped out from around a tree ahead of her, a pleased smirk on his face and hands tucked in his pockets. His suit was untouched from the trek through the forest, unlike her, who was covered in small cuts and dirt from flopping around in the darkness.

Of course, it could also be the Gallade that loomed behind him. Those things could teleport, after all.

Grey skidded to a stop, Kit running ahead to growl at the man.

"I'm glad to see you well," he said with a smirk, "However, in your current state 'well' a bit of a loose term."

Looking around for anything she could use, Grey smoothly stepped to the side.

"Screw you, Silver. I see ya still got yer _silver tongue_," she said mockingly, nervously glancing around. "Where's Alastor?"

Mr. Silver brushed imaginary dirt off his shoulder. "Oh, he's back home. I have to hand it to you Laura, coming through the roof was an ingenious move. And evading my men as you escaped was priceless."

He smirked as he remembered their screams echoing through the gym. Then suddenly it was gone, and he stared at Grey with a hard, cold glare.

"But now playtime is over. It's high time that you come with me."

Grey gulped – this freak always scared the shit out of her, even two years after she saw him last. She edged to the side as he began to stride towards her.

"So Silver," she began, trying to buy time, "how'd ya know I'd come this way?"

The glare immediately vanished, replaced by a smug grin. "Ah, I'm so glad you asked! You see, I know you. I knew that you'd need to extract from a secluded position that was still close to the Gym. If you escaped, I assumed that you'd come this way, since it was closest to the forest."

He laughed. "And I was right!"

Grey smirked – even after two years he was prone to monologuing. And when he did, he didn't notice anything else. Like if she discreetly stepped out of his way. She'd need a nice, clear shot for this next part.

A quick look – fourty-three percent.

"Of course," he continued, "that was assuming if you _did_ escape from the gym. If you didn't, you would have been caught by my men and we'd be heading towards Rocket Headquarters by now. Oh well."

He flippantly shrugged. "At any rate, I would have had just as much trouble as you getting here. I probably wouldn't have come into this forest if I hadn't had Gallade. Teleporting is quite handy, you see. You can be everywhere-"

He touched his Gallade's shoulder and suddenly disappeared.

Grey gasped and looked around in panic. Kit disappeared into her shadow.

"-And nowhere at once," Silver said, whispering in her ear.

She was suddenly bowled over from the side by his Gallade, and cried out when her left shoulder cracked against a hidden rock. Grey bit back tears from the explosion of pain as she glared up at Silver.

Mr. Silver laughed as he leered down at her, hands in his pockets. "You behaved exactly as I thought. You even got me to monologue! I have to hand it to you; you're much more intelligent than one would guess."

Gallade, looking quite guilty, bent and offered its hand to help her up.

Grey snorted at Silver's backhanded compliment and grabbed the Gallade's hand.

"You can keep yer compliments, don't need'em," she said sarcastically, groaning from the pain as she got to her feet. The Gallade grabbed her uninjured shoulder, holding her in place.

Silver chuckled, leaned in close… and brushed his lips against her cheek.

"But I should give you compliments," he whispered. "After two years, you're even more beautiful than when I last saw you in Snowpoint City."

Heart rising to her throat, Grey fought to keep the blush off her cheeks. With the Gallade clenching her shoulder she couldn't run or pull away, and Silver knew that. He took full advantage of it.

The dude _still_ got off on freaking her out.

She looked around in desperation, panicking as she heard the VTOL in the background… and that's when she noticed a pair of small, blood-red eyes glaring in the darkness. The shadows seemed oppressive all of a sudden, undulating in the bushes around them.

Grey smiled.

Mr. Silver seemed almost shocked when Grey herself leaned closer, stopping just short of her own lips brushing his ear. He involuntarily shivered as he felt her warm breath move across his skin, but it registered a second too late when he realized what she said and did.

"Night Daze," she whispered. At the same time the snapped her fingers and set her good hand on the hilt of her baton.

Kit leapt out of the shadows, too fast for Gallade to react. Her eyes glowed red as shadows shifted and swirled into her own body.

With a howl that echoed through the entire forest, dark energy exploded from every pore of her being like a bomb. She was right at Grey's and Mr. Silver's feet.

Just before she was blown back Grey ripped her baton from its holster and cracked it against Silver's skull, sending him reeling even before he was thrown away. The shadowy explosion slammed into her a second later, crushing her body against Gallade's and sending them flying nearly thirty feet.

Their flight was only stopped when they collided into a tree, and the baton went flying from Grey's hand in the impact.

Grey cried out as a flare of pain washed over her shoulder and gritted her teeth. She could see Silver stirring from where he lay. Her own body was crumpled in the lap of the now-unconscious Gallade, who she had to thank for absorbing most of the impact. Still, she struggled to catch her breath as she heaved herself onto her wobbly legs.

Kit burst out of the shadows – literally her element – and danced around at her master's feet with a worried look.

Grey grinned, though it came out more of a grimace as she clutched her injured shoulder. "N-nice job, Kit. Let's get outta here."

She turned and took off towards the clearing, where she could see the VTOL's spotlight sweeping the trees. Red-hot lances shot through her shoulder at every step – the thing felt shattered.

At least it wasn't her good arm.

Running was out of the question, so she settled into an easy jog with Kit hot on her heels. She gritted her teeth through the pain and pushed herself onward, dodging rocks and high-stepping over logs that lay in her path. By the time she was halfway there, however, she heard the tell-tale sign of a Pokemon being recalled.

Silver was back up, and even though his Gallade was out for the count he was still dangerous as ever.

Grey cried out as she pushed herself into a run, brought to tears from the pain. Her feet crushed branches and pounded against the hard-packed dirt. She could barely feel herself breathing as she ran. Her vision blackened at the corners, focused solely on the spotlight that barely peeked through the brush. All there was in that moment was the spotlight and the lances of pain that stabbed through her shoulder.

It was faint, but she could hear Silver's footsteps closing in.

She threw herself through one last bush and burst into the clearing – it was flat with nothing but grass there, so it was perfect for a landing spot.

The VTOL was a small, sleek craft, shaped like a two-seated bushplane with a tail fins shaped in a V and forward-swept wings just behind the cockpit. The nose was needle sharp, while the hollow sound came from the twin jet turbines at the ends of the wings. In all, it was like a compact jet.

As soon as she came into the clearing the spotlight centered on her, blinding her.

"_C'mon, we gotta go!"_ the pilot growled through loudspeakers._ "We're pulling out!"_

Grey all but sprinted across the clearing, Kit hot on her heels. She ran through the waves of heat the turbines threw out and leapt through the open hatch, hauling herself through and grabbing Kit in a single motion. The VTOL wobbled ominously when she jumped through, hovering as it was.

The pilot passed her a pair of headphones, a bear-like man with a fearsome expression who barely fit in his own plane. She slipped them on and immediately the noise quieted, even more so when the hatch closed behind her.

"You alright, kid?" he asked worriedly, his voice crackling over the connection.

Grey shifted uncomfortably in the cramped cockpit as she strapped herself in. Kit had automatically curled up in her master's lap.

"Yeah, I'm good," she said painfully, gripping her shoulder. "Just get us home, I'll get patched up there."

The bear stared at her for a moment longer before nodding and pushing forward on the throttle. As the craft lifted from the ground, Grey saw Mr. Silver come out into the clearing.

Despite the trails of blood running from his temple, forehead and his overcoat being ripped in a few places, he seemed none the worse for wear. Even as she lifted off she saw his mouth moving.

"_You won this time,"_ he mouthed out, "_but you can be sure you won't be so lucky the next time! Let the race continue another day!"_

Grey flipped him off.

With that, he turned and stalked back into the forest.

Grey stared after him and scowled. "Frickin' pretty boy," she mumbled.

"What was that?" the pilot growled.

"Nothin' at all. Let's get outta here."

The pilot nodded in agreement, and when they were about a hundred feet high he flipped a switch to trim the turbines out. The craft sped forward, rocketing off towards Vermillion City.

They were just passing over the outskirts when the sun, which had been slowly brightening the night sky, peeked over the horizon. The pink and yellow-hued light sparkled off the water, bringing a smile to Grey's face.

She snapped a picture before peeling off her Solid Eye, and rubbed her sore eyebrow.

"Helluva mornin'," she mumbled, wearily sinking into her seat. The pilot nodded, though more focused on the sunrise. He had no idea why she was skulking about in the Viridian Forest, and why would he?

Her mission was, after all, supposed to be secretive. No traces, no witnesses, and no one who knew about it than necessary.

Of course, being ambushed by Rockets wasn't part of the plan.

Grey's mind wandered as she felt exhaustion overtake her, and with the plane's vibrations massaging her shoulder she slowly drifted off to sleep.

The craft began a slow climb, angling towards the large shadow lazily drifting in the upper stratosphere.

They were heading home.


	4. Episode Three: Headknocker

Episode Three: Headknocker

…

_I've always had strange relationships with the men in my life. There's Ojiisan, the vice-commander of the MSF. He's like the uncle I never had. Then there's Mr. Silver, the Rocket stooge. If anything else, I admire his stubbornness. Wasting two years tryin' ta kidnap a single person would make anyone else go nuts._

_Caine is another one – I was always bailing the woman-chasing lech out of trouble. And then there's… _him.

_I didn't forgive him. Probably never will. Well, I'll never get the chance to now, at least. Nothing like bein' frozen in crystal to put a damper on yer social prospects._

_Still, I shouldn't have been surprised that I'd find yet another nutjob in that Region. Meeting him was… memorable._

…

One week later

The ground sped by below as the VTOL rocketed along the coast between Johto and Kanto. Route 27 was seldom used anymore with the magnetic railway running between Goldenrod and Saffron City, though there was just enough traffic for the two regions to keep maintaining the old path. Well, relatively speaking.

It was nothing more than a wide ledge on a cliff face – even from where she sat in the VTOL, Grey could see a couple of trainers struggling to walk it… and keep from vomiting whenever they peeked over the edge.

She chuckled. _I remember being like that. _

The headset she wore crackled. "_Miss Grey, we're getting towards the end here. I need to hightail it back to the Aigaion as soon as you get off, so make sure you're ready."_

Grey nodded at the bear-like pilot and managed to check over her gear from where she sat in the cramped seat. Her full to bursting backpack sat between her knees, full of Pokemon medicines, camping supplies and emergency food. The ever-present satchel was strapped to her thigh. Her white vest had been stitched back together, and beneath that was the thin, armor-like undershirt.

Her five Pokeballs were clipped to her belt. Her boots were tied.

Granted, she was without her baton – that had been lost back in Viridian Forest when the Rocket stooge reared his ugly head.

_Ugly head with nice cologne…_

"…_What?"_ she muttered in disbelief. "_Where the hell did that come from?"_

"_You say something?"_ the pilot asked.

"…_No. I'm ready to dust off."_

Grey looked back at the pilot and gave him a thumbs-up, and he nodded in return.

Satisfied that she was ready, Grey looked back out the window and stared at the jagged peaks of the Silver Mountains. She blinked at the name, a thought crossing her mind.

_Guess that's where he got his name. Frickin' Rocket stooge…_

Another lone trainer drifted by below, a young girl who huddled against the cliff face as she struggled along.

Grey sighed.

"_What is it?" _the pilot gruffly asked.

She shook her head. "_There ain't nearly as many trainers as there were two years ago. It's kinda sad."_

The pilot nodded. "_Yeah, there was a report on the news about how trainers are in decline. More and more Pokemon are attacking trainers to keep from getting caught. Over-poaching, you know? Parents just don't want their kids being in danger like that._

"_They're guessin' that there'll be no more trainers within twenty years. Ones just wandering around, at least."_

Not really paying attention, Grey nodded as she stared at the mountains.

"_By the way, how's your shoulder?"_

Grey glanced back at the pilot. Gripping her shoulder, she said, "_It's fine, it was just a bone bruise. It'll be good in 'bout five more days."_

In truth, she was worried – with her left arm immobilized in a sling, she'd be severely hampered while travelling. But she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want anything jeopardizing the opportunity that had been given to her.

The chance to prove herself to the MSF, Militaires Sans Frontières. The Soldiers without Borders, a paramilitary corporation charged with keeping international peace. Sort of like Interpol, but with more swords and MMDs.

She recalled her commander's words yesterday.

…

_A man in his sixties sat at a desk looking over a report, his office at the front of the massive airship, the MSF-1112 Aigaion. The thick window behind him gave a view of the horizon with the ground far below._

_The man was battle-scarred, with a Solid Eye implanted in his right socket. It was jarring to see a black piece of metal with a camera lens instead of an eye, but it suited him in a strange way. His hair and thick moustache had gone to gray long ago and wrinkles had formed, though his remaining eye was still bright and alert as he looked over the report._

"_So girlie," he said, voice a gravelly croak. "You got in undetected."_

"_Yeah."_

"_Got through the air ducts."_

"_Yep."_

"_Got the data."_

"_Uh-huh."_

_He tossed the few pieces of paper onto the desk, and expectantly looked at the young woman across from him. Her left arm was in a sling._

"_Then shit hit the fan," he said matter-of-factly. "What happened?"_

_Grey sighed and crossed her legs, wearing a pair of black pants with her boots and a tank top. "Well, I got the data and Rocket grunts stormed in. He was there. You know who."_

_The old man frowned. "Him? That's not good, I thought we took care of him last time."_

_She shook her head. "It wouldn't be that easy, Ojiisan. I fought him off fer a whole year, and he still didn't give up. Two years of me disappearing probably just made the prick more stubborn than ever, ya know? That last time at the Meister Grand Prix was probably him just tryin' ta save his pride. Never knew why it took him a year ta come back after again, though…"_

_A heavy silence hung over the two as they thought. _

_Ojiisan sighed and ran a hand through his greying hair. "Girlie, the mission didn't go as planned. You were supposed to get in and out undetected. It was supposed to be a black-op. No witnesses."_

_Grey grimaced, steeling herself for a dressing-down._

"_Good work."_

_A second passed and Grey looked up at her commander with an incredulous look on her face. "…Wh… huh?"_

_Ojiisan smirked. "Kid, you're one of the most talented operatives on this ship. You're unseasoned, but do you think I'd discharge you for something you couldn't control? You got the data all the same. Besides, that guy was probably waiting for you."_

_Grey groaned and ran her hand through her hair. "But that's just it. Every time I've met him, everything he did and said was on purpose. He plans ten steps ahead, but how did he know to wait there? Of all places he coulda gone?"_

_There was another long moment of silence._

"_At any rate," Ojiisan said, "the data you got let us plan our next move."_

_Grey nodded. "So, have our 'glorious' Board of Directors decided where we should go?"_

_Ojiisan leaned back in his seat, pulling a pack of cigarettes and a Zippo lighter from a drawer. He lit it and took a leisurely draw before he answered, "Unova. There's a situation that's been growing there, something about Pokemon 'liberation.' Just a glorified excuse to steal from trainers. We were headed there anyway, but the data you recovered were plans to create a genetically engineered Pokemon - you know as well as I do how illegal that is._

"_Fact of the matter is you gave us a real game-changer."_

_To her surprise, he stood and gave her a respectful bow. "Thank you, and I'm sorry for putting you at such risk."_

_Though she hid it, Grey was grinning like a loon inside. _

'_After two years of trainin', I'm finally payin' him back,' she thought to herself._

"_What're my next orders?"_

_Ojiisan sat back down and blew a smoke ring. "So soon? Shouldn't you take a breather?"_

"_No, sir," Grey said determinedly. "I've done enough of that waiting fer my arm ta heal up."_

"_Ah." Another drag. "At any rate, I need you back on training."_

_The floor felt like it dropped out from under her. _

"…_What?" she hissed._

_Ojiisan let out a lungful of smoke and mashed his cigarette into the ashtray by his elbow. He gave Grey a serious look as he continued, "You're still too green to take on active missions. I'm putting you on the bench."_

_Grey clenched her fists, grinding her teeth as she struggled to contain herself. Finally she let out a long breath and said carefully, "Commander, I need ta speak."_

_Ojiisan nodded. "By all means."_

"_Sir, I've spent the last two goddamn years trainin'," she snarled viciously. "I'm sick and tired of this bullshit. You promised me that I'd get stronger and help people if I joined your team. You've helped me with the first part, and I'm grateful. But if I'm just gonna sit on my ass all the time, I'm leavin'."_

_A long, tense silence filled the office._

_As he gathered the report, Ojiisan frowned and said, "Girl, I know you've got guts. I saw that back in the Silph Company tower. It's why I offered you the gig."_

_He leveled a dark glare at Grey that made her nerve turn into ash – all she wanted to do was crawl into a corner and hide. _

This wasn't a good friggin' idea_, she fearfully thought to herself._

"_But that doesn't mean that you can be a complete fool," he continued. "Have you lost your goddamn mind?"_

"_Uh… uh…"_

"_And not only that," he continued, getting to his feet, "but you also throw my generosity back in my face? I've half a mind to throw you out the nearest airlock."_

_Grey felt terror grip her as Ojiisan's glare bored into her very soul. "Um…" she stammered. "S-sorry…"_

_His hard stare bored into her a moment longer… then he chuckled._

_The chuckle turned into a full-bellied laugh, making Grey stare at the man like he was insane._

"_Girlie, you're way too serious," he choked out. "You looked like you were about to shit yourself!"_

_Fury welled up in Grey chest as she shouted, "I nearly did shit myself, ya old fart! Screw you!"_

_His laugh died, and even though the smile remained on his face she could see the seriousness in his eyes. "Still, remember your rank. You may be second-in-command in the FSP unit, but I'm still in charge. Forget that again and you'll be walking off the next time we refuel."_

_Pushing her frayed nerves aside, Grey nodded and said apologetically, "I… I understand. But still, I've been trainin' fer two years. When can I get in the field?"_

_Ojiisan sighed. "Girlie, you do realize there's more than one type of training, don't you?"_

"_Huh?"_

_He smirked. "If you had shut up I would've told you I was putting you on _field_ training. Your fault for not listening."_

…

And that was where Grey found herself now, heading towards the rendezvous with their contact in Johto. As a member of Forward Surveillance and Prevention, or FSP, it was her job to scout the regions and look for criminal activity. Granted, this was her first assignment and was being sent here _because_ there wasn't any activity… but it was a start.

It would likely take her a few months to go around the entire region and search its cities.

But it was a start.

She was finally paying him back.

Grey was brought out of her thoughts was the pilot tapped her shoulder and said, _"Get ready. If I don't head back right now I won't make the trajectory flight."_

The craggy mountains had morphed into a lowland forest during her mind lapse, and she looked back to the front to see a small town slowly get closer. It was nestled in all the trees near the coast, with no more than ten different houses near a half-moon bay.

This was New Bark Town, where her journey would begin.

The VTOL swooped down, flying low to the trees as it veered off just beyond the town towards a clearing. The turbines tilted straight up into the air, and Grey could feel every wobble of the craft as it gradually slowed down and drifted closer to the tops of the trees. Her heart leapt to her throat when the trees got close enough that she could have brushed the top branches with her hand.

The pilot gave the throttle one last goose to clear the trees.

"_Cuttin' it a little close, pal?"_ she asked, her voice tense.

"_In a hurry,"_ he grunted.

The pilot laughed when she flipped him off.

Wheels slid out from the VTOL's underbelly as it drifted gently to the ground. Grey threw herself out before the craft even set down and gave the pilot a wave, who threw a jaunty salute in return. He made his craft practically jump off the ground and rocket away to catch the Aigaion.

The screaming turbines faded into the distance, quickly leaving Grey in silence.

Grey took a breath when a breeze flowed through the clearing, making the trees whisper. Even from where she stood she could hear some of the Pokemon returning, Pidgey and Sentret curiously peeking around trees to see what the commotion had been. When she saw her however, they gave a frightened squeaks and dove back into the brush, or flew off in search a different forest.

All that was there was her, the forest, and the sky above.

It was hard to put into words the feeling she felt… but the closest she could come up with was free.

Grey smiled. It had been too long since she had felt like this.

She entered the forest, and for the next several minutes she picked her way through the trees. Even though she did her best to keep quiet, carefully stepping on trees and rocks when the grass was thick, she could still see eyes glaring at her from the undergrowth.

It was one of the dangers of this world – Pokemon had grown fierce, and most disliked invading humans with a vengeance. Many careless trainers had died simply for straying from the beaten path.

Grey sighed with relief when she finally came to the road for Route 29. It wasn't a road, really – more of a dirt track lined by trees. She tapped the bracelet on her wrist to bring up her holographic map.

"…Crap," she muttered after a long moment, frowning at the blobs of green and brown. "Can't read maps worth a-"

"HEY!"

She was snapped out of her mutterings when a kid burst out of the brush – he was a scrawny looking brat with a blue cap, white shirt and beige pants, his sneakers covered in mud. Still, as soon as he saw her he raced at her with determination in his eyes.

Grey raised an eyebrow when he skidded to a stop a few feet away from her. _What's a kid doin' out here?_

"Yeah? What's up?"

The kid ripped a Pokeball off his belt and practically shouted, "You look weak! Come on, let's battle!"

Her eyebrow twitched. "…Excuse me?" she growled.

This kid… he didn't even look ten.

And she felt like murdering his _face_.

"I don't have any other Pokemon," the brat shouted, clutching his single Pokeball. "But I'm still gonna win!"

A vein pulsed in Grey's temple. _Keep it cool, he's just a kid. He's not worth your time, just turn and walk away…_

Grey did just that, turning on her heel with her pack slung over one shoulder. She didn't even give him a backwards glance.

"Battle me!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "My Rattata is super-cool! It's, like, in the top percentage of Rattata!"

The boy sounded desperate, and there were tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"I don't wanna hurt yer Pokemon, kid," Grey threw over her shoulder. "Why don't ya grow up and battle me in 'bout five years?"

The kid stopped and stared at her back, a look of confusion and disappointment on his face. He stamped a foot against the ground as he angrily shouted, "You ugly old hag! I bet you don't even have Pokemon!"

At that, Grey stopped. Her shoulders twitched. Her skin slowly became a faint red. And when she turned, the kid almost peed his pants.

"_What was that?"_ Grey hissed, leveling a murderous glare at him "…Ugly? Old? _Hag?!"_

Taking a step back, the kid trembled as he cowered under the gaze of the murderous girl.

A wide, crazed sneer split her face.

"So you wanted a fight, huh?" she growled. "Well c'mon, let's go ya little brat. I'm _dying_ to see what you can do."

Grey took a Pokeball off her belt, its surface covered in scratches and dull with age.

There was a sticker of a flame on it.

Before the boy could react she threw the ball at the ground before him. It exploded in white light, and when it finally cleared was a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life.

The Pokemon towered over the small boy with its arms crossed. It was covered with red feathers, though they were dull and had long lost their sheen. Clawed talons dug into the ground, and when the boy looked up, he saw that the left eye had been sealed shut by a horrific scar.

It stared at the boy. Then it snorted fire.

"_AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"_

The boy screamed and sprinted down the road, never stopping or looking back. He was gone so quickly that Grey stood staring at the spot he was just in with her mouth open to speak. Obviously, she never got the chance to gloat.

"…Well. That was easy," she quipped with a smirk.

_WACK!_

Grey yelped when the Pokemon reached over and clocked the back of her head with its fist.

"Hey, what's yer frickin' problem, Rex?!"

Rex, an aging Blaziken, rolled his eye as his trainer reeled on him. He motioned to where the boy had disappeared.

"_Him?!" _she yelled. "He called me a hag! I had ta teach'im a lesson- _OW!"_

He interrupted her with another smack to the skull.

Grey winced as she rubbed her head and moaned, "Fine, _fine._ I won't do that again."

Rex smirked and crossed his arms.

With her terrorizing the local children complete, Grey looked down at her map again. She frowned once more in confusion, scratching her head.

She finally sighed in frustration. "Hey Rex, can ya give me a hand fer a sec?"

The Blaziken had been warily eyeing the trees around him, glaring at any curious Pokemon that decided to get too close. He gave Grey a dismissive snort and ignored her.

Grey fumed and punched his shoulder. "Gimme a break, ya big chicken! If I see that brat again I'll apologize, ya happy?!"

Before he turned to his trainer he stared forlornly at the sky, as if to say, _"Why me?"_

Just then one of the Pokeballs on her waist snapped open and released Kit. As soon as the white glow left the small fox, she snarled and barked at her bickering friends.

Grey winced at Kit's shrill, angry tone. "Geez, Kit. Yer gonna wake up the entire forest."

Kit stopped barking, though she did level her fiercest glare at her master.

A long moment passed with the three glaring at one another. It was broken when Grey huffed and stalked down the road, craning her neck to see the map on her immobilized left arm. And once again, she stopped after several feet to scratch her head in confusion.

"Crap. No wonder it's workin' fer shit, the techies didn't load the new map data."

She sighed, and turned to Rex with an exasperated look. "Rex, can ya jump up and see where the nearest town is? I, ah, I'm havin' a few… technical difficulties."

Rex sighed as well, gripping his forehand with a claw. Still, he leapt up and through the branches, using his powerful legs to leap nearly fifty feet in the air. A long minute passed before he dropped back to the ground, landing in a squat at Grey's feet. He pointed back behind her.

Grey glanced over her shoulder. "It's that way?"

Rex nodded.

"Thanks, Rex. Let's get movin'."

With Kit prancing around her legs, Grey shifted the backpack on her unhurt shoulder. She was grimacing at the weight of it when it was snatched away.

"Rex!" she scolded, only to see the six-foot tall bird heft it like it weighed nothing.

She scowled. "I can carry that, Rex! I ain't so injured that I can't carry a backpack!"

Rex smirked, puffing his chest out as he swung the pack onto his shoulder.

For several minutes they walked, with nothing but the sunlight shining through the trees above, the light breeze, and the quiet footsteps of the Pokemon that watched the group. A heavy silence hung over them, though Kit was the only one who felt it – she trotted along with her bushy tail hung low and her hackles raised.

"Thanks, Rex. It was gettin' heavy."

Both raising an eyebrow, Rex and Kit looked to their trainer. Though she didn't stop walking, Rex could see the light smile she had on her face.

Rex smirked, reached out, and ruffled the girl's hair.

"Yo, watch it!" she yelped, spinning to give Rex a half-hearted glare. He chortled as his beak snorted bits of fire.

"Yer an ass, Rex," she grumbled.

Still, even as she shoved her hands into her pockets, the heavy air that had fallen over them seemed to dissipate. Kit felt it too as her glum trot morphed back into her excited prance. They walked for nearly twenty minutes along the tunnel-like path – for Grey, the end of it was like night and day, walking around a bend and then… there it was.

New Bark Town.

Like she saw from the VTOL it was a small hamlet, with no more than a few dozen people living there. She could tell already that the nearby sea was where they got most of their food, judging from the multiple docks that stretched into the bay like fingers. But there was one house in particular she was searching for.

Grey looked down at the village from the top of the hill the forest had opened up to – they were still a ways from New Bark. Without a word, she tugged her pack of Rex's shoulder.

"Yer too conspicuous," she said when he gave her a questioning look. "No offense, pal, but if the people see ya just walkin' around they'll freak."

Rex stared at his trainer for a long moment before giving a solemn nod, and gently reached out a claw towards his Pokeball on her belt. One quick tap later, he was sucked in as red light and was gone.

Grey shivered without his protective presence at her shoulder, and felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck.

"C'mon Kit, let's go," she said, beginning her trudge down the hill with the Zorua no more than three feet behind her. The both of them were tense, suspecting an attack at any moment. It was only when they crossed the tall brick wall that surrounded New Bark that they gave a sigh of relief.

Truthfully, New Bark was one big security violation. The brick wall was only three feet thick, providing not nearly enough protection should an angry Pokemon attack. Not only that but there wasn't even a gate to shut the town off should raiders come for all they had.

On the other hand there wasn't anyone important enough in the small town to even be worth stealing from –those who lived here were, quite frankly, nobodies.

Well, except from one person, who she herself was looking for.

"Now," Grey said while looking around, "where would the Doc be-"

A house directly to the left of the gate caught her eye. It was a two-story building, with stair that led to the second floor and a large windmill for power behind it. But what really made her notice was the swirls of smoke that billowed from a couple of the open windows.

Grey smirked. "Found ya."

_CRASH!_

She flinched at the sound of breaking glass within, dropping into a crouch as her hand moved toward the holster on her hip.

_Dammit, I still don't have a replacement baton,_ she growled internally. Grey looked to Kit, who was tensed and ready to fight.

"Kit, circle around and look fer anything. I don't care if it's a burglar or a frickin' rock, if ya see anything, let me know."

The fox nodded, melting into her shadow. It quickly darted out of sight around the corner of the building.

Grey cautiously slunk to the doorway, pressing herself against the side. She peeked around the corner…

The lab was in chaos. A metal table in the center had been flipped over, scattering dozens of papers across the floor. Books had been thrown off their shelves. A computer monitor had been ripped into by what looked like a Slash attack, nearly bisecting it. As it was it was throwing off sparks that were getting dangerously close to a cluster of papers.

There were even footprints on the ceiling.

"Whoever did this did a real number on the place," she muttered to herself, quietly sneaking through the door. Carefully walking heel-to-toe, Grey was completely silent as she looked around. She needed to be on her guard.

After all, this was the lab of a well-renowned Pokemon Professor. If someone was willing to do this kind of damage, she could just imagine what they would do if someone got in their way.

Grey stopped, a cold pit settling in her gut. "Where's Professor Elm?" she muttered.

Just then she heard a groan.

She snapped her head to the left, through a doorway that led to a tiny bedroom. Grey flew through the door, her eyes scanning every surface until she saw the professor sprawled on the floor in the bathroom.

"Professor!" she cried, racing to the injured man. She knelt by his side and grimaced when she saw the trickle of blood running from his temple.

"Professor! Can ya hear? Can ya speak?"

The questions flew from her mouth without even realizing it, as she inspected his arms, legs, ribs, and head for any other injuries.

"Ugh… ouch." he groaned, bringing a hand to his head. "Feels like a herd of Donphan are rolling around in my head…"

Grey's panic lessened somewhat – if he could think about his complaints, he'd be alright for now. "Professor, my name Grey. I'm an operative from the MSF. Can ya tell me what happened?"

Elm woozily leaned himself against the bathtub. "…Grey?" he moaned. "Grey… oh, the MSF… right. I have your gear ready…"

She sighed in exasperation – he was clearly still out of it.

"Professor Elm, ya have ta tell me what happened."

"I… I'm trying… still fuzzy…"

Grey swallowed her impatience. "Take yer time, doc."

_Just do it quick, ya frickin-!_

Holding his already-blackening left eye, Elm gritted out, "A boy. Around sixteen. Red hair. Stole one of my starter Pokemon…"

"Which way did he go?" Grey all but demanded, leaning closer.

Elm frowned, struggling to get his addled brain to cooperate. "Um… I saw him… go through the back window… Gold went after him-"

Grey was already moving, scrambling out of the bathroom, through the bedroom door, and out the front in the span of five seconds.

Elm sat there, trying to process what happened until he passed out moments later.


	5. Episode Four: Pain in the Neck

_There is no excuse why it's taken me two months to get this chapter posted - all I can do is apologize._

_I truly am sorry for taking so long._

_There's also a couple things I need to clarify. This story doesn't necessarily follow the manga; it follows the game storyline, but has more in common with the manga because it's a lot more brutal. You know, decapitating Arboks and all that._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this small peace offering, and as always I do not own Pokemon. If I did it wouldn't be a kiddie anime and the games would be more than just rock paper scissors._

_-RYNO_

* * *

Episode Four: Pain in the Neck

Somewhere in Johto…

In a conference room four people sat at a table. It was too dark to see their features, but one could tell that there were three men and one woman. They all scrutinized a man who stood under the room's single light, his silvery hair tousled by the thick wrap of gauze around his head. The room was in a tense silence from what the injured man had just told them all.

The man on the far left of the table leaned forward and growled, "Silver, what the hell do you mean by, 'she's back?'"

Mr. Silver's mouth twitched, the beginnings of a smirk. "Just what I said. She's back."

The same man slammed his hands on the table. "And just what the hell do you mean?! You go off on an unauthorized operation only to tell us, 'she's back'?! How do you justify the expense of an operation, one you _failed_ I might add, _and _paying off the local police?! Not the least of which you compromised one our most important research projects! _And_ you have nothing to show for it, Silver!"

Mr. Silver just shrugged.

The woman sighed, pinching her nose. "Calm yourself, Proton."

"This concerns the entire organization!" Proton screamed, spewing spittle. "How can you be so-"

"Proton, be quiet."

The others at the table turned to the man on the far right, who had been sitting quietly as he observed from the shadows. He stood from his chair, and his shoes quietly tapped the ground as he walked into the light.

Mr. Silver looked up at his "boss," a slender man wearing a white suit. His cold glare bored into Silver, though its effect was lost on him.

This was Archer, one of the four Executives of Team Rocket.

Archer set a hand on Silver's shoulder. "Enlighten us, Leon. What was so important that you had to take nearly a quarter of our men, risk exposing Team Rocket to the masses, and ultimately fail in what you set out to do?"

Mr. Silver, Leon, casually brushed Archer's hand off his shoulder like it was dust. "Was there ever a point where it seemed I failed, Archer? I merely came across some information and acted on it."

Any further words were cut off as Archer gripped Silver's neck with both hands, and he snarled, "Did you _ever_ consider the fact that there is a chain of command?!"

A metallic whine came from the dark, and a gloved hand the size of a spade reached out to grab Archer's wrist. He immediately winced from the sheer amount of strength the hand had.

Mr. Silver smirked. "I'd let go," he wheezed, "otherwise you might not get that hand back."

Archer's lip twitched in annoyance, and he let go before the hand crushed his wrist. The massive appendage withdrew into the shadows.

Mr. Silver coughed and straightened his trench coat, looking like he had simply tripped instead of nearly being throttled.

"You should know by now," he said hoarsely, "that I nothing I do is ever without reason."

"So what _was_ the reason?" Proton demanded, standing from his seat.

Mr. Silver smirked and turned on his heel. "All in good time, my friend. You'll see soon enough."

With that he left the room, not bothering to wait for the massive silhouette that followed him out the motorized door seconds later. The four executives were silent for several moments after his departure.

"We should kill him," Proton growled as soon as the door hissed shut.

"_Proton,"_ the woman scolded.

The third man leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the table.

"We can't do that," he said lazily, "he's pretty much the only thing left from when the Boss was still around."

"Petrel's right," the woman said, almost disdainfully. "As… _painful_ as it is to admit it…"

"Arianna! How cold!"

Archer cleared his throat, silencing them all. He was staring at the door that as he said, "Leon Testarossa is a relic from our Boss's time. He was his right-hand man. He's been indispensable throughout the life of Team Rocket…"

His gaze grew cold and unfeeling.

"…but his usefulness is coming to an end. His loyalties are not to Team Rocket, but to Giovanni himself. And we still don't know if he's coming back, even after our plan succeeds."

He turned to his fellow Executives. "This is a standing order for all of us. If he becomes a liability, eliminate him."

Proton and Arianna nodded, while Petrel simply shrugged.

None of them realized that they still didn't know who it was that Mr. Silver was talking about.

…

Cherrygrove City

Four hours after the Elm Lab theft…

Meanwhile, three others were sitting at another table in the Cherrygrove City Police Station. It was an interrogation room, complete with one-way glass and a dingy lamp that only lit up the table below it. An officer was gawking at the pair in front of him – this was supposed to be an interrogation, though it seemed more like an exercise in bickering than anything else.

"Will you just listen to me?! The Professor called me in, I had to leave, and this weirdo broke in while I was gone! I wasn't even there!"

"How was I supposed to know that?! All _I _saw was Elm layin' on the frickin' bathroom floor! Fer all I knew you coulda been workin' with'im!"

"Oh yeah, I would've gotten away with attacking my own neighbor. Do you think I'm that stupid?!"

"Aren't you?!"

The officer growled. "One at a time! Boy-"

"It's Gold!"

"Gold. Shut up."

The young teen sulked in his seat, pulling the cap over his eyes as he slouched.

Turning to the woman, the officer scolded, "And you, quiet. This is an interrogation. Unless I ask you a question, anything that either of you say can be used against you."

The pair huffed and gruffly crossed their arms.

"Alright," the officer sighed, "now Gold, you first."

Gold rolled his eyes. "About time. I was-"

"Hold on."

The officer sighed, wanting nothing more than to go back to his office with a cup of joe. Instead he was stuck with two of the most difficult suspects he had ever encountered.

C'est la vie.

The woman leaned forward. "I want my Pokemon."

"Not happening, Miss…"

"Grey."

He stared at her, not bothering to answer.

"Pretty please?" she asked sarcastically.

"Still not happening, Miss Grey."

She huffed in annoyance. "Can I at least get my sling back?"

"No."

She growled and flopped back in her seat, cradling her injured arm as she did so. The sling that had secured it to her chest had been confiscated in case it had a hidden weapon. One could never be too careful.

That was the police's "reasoning" – in truth it was just to piss Grey off.

In her mind, at least.

The officer looked down at the datapad he had in his hand, tilted away from the two "suspects." On the screen was a picture and profile of Gold, known as Ethan Hibiki, as well as all information about him. Birthday, background information, it was all there. From what little he had gotten out of the two of them, Gold's story sounded the most believable. However, that wasn't the same for the woman known as Grey.

He scrolled down to Grey's page. And that's all it was, a page. Absolutely nothing was there – no real name, no background data, not even a picture other than the one they had taken of her when she was first brought in. She was, effectively, a ghost. And that was more suspicious than being involved in the theft of Elm's starter Pokemon.

The officer sighed. "Alright, let's take it again from the top. _And one at a time,_ please."

Gold huffed. "Fine. It's not like we haven't been here _four hours_ already."

"_Just do it,"_ Grey and the officer groaned in unison.

…

"_Do you haven everything ready?" Gold's mom asked that morning._

_Gold groaned. "Yeah Mom, I've got everything. It's not like you haven't inspected my bag five times already."_

_His mom sighed. "I know, but I just want to make sure you're ready. When your father was a trainer it wasn't as big a deal, but times have changed. It's much more dangerous than it used to be."_

"_I know_,_ Mom. I'll be fine."_

_His mom gave him a dubious look._

"_Really. It's just an errand for the Prof, and I'll have a Pokemon with me. I'll only be gone a couple days."_

…

"Hold on," Grey said, leaning forward. "Do we really need ta hear about this guy's life story? 'Cause this doesn't seem really relevant ta me."

The officer reluctantly nodded. "…You may be right. Can you please skip ahead to when you first encountered the thief?"

Gold grumbled. "Alright, alright. You should've said so in the first place. Anyway, Elm said he had an errand for me but he needed my trainer ID. I forgot it and had to run and grab it off my desk, and when I came back there he was."

The officer frowned. "Who?"

"_Him,_" Gold stressed. "The _guy,_ he was standing over Elm with a stick in his hand."

"And can I assume he was the thief?"

"Yeah."

…

_Gold had just burst through Elm's doorway, now glaring at the unknown teen in front of him. "Who are you? What do you think you're doing?"_

_The teen wasn't even facing Gold – he was kneeling in front of a padlocked box on Elm's desk, trying to find the best way to open it. Still, the heavy stick at his side and Elm lying unconscious on the floor told him all he needed to know. Gold scowled._

"_I said what do you think you're doing?!"_

"_I'm getting a Pokemon."_

_Gold was stunned when the thief suddenly grabbed the box and threw it to the ground. He stomped on the hinge – despite the lock, the box itself cracked open and spilled three Pokeballs onto the floor. Gold could only watch in shock as the thief stooped and grabbed one._

"_I'll be taking this," he said, turning to face Gold._

_The thief was a boy around Gold's age, with brown hair that bordered on red. His black jacket and jeans were scuffed from use and his boots looked like they had been through a lot in their lifetime. Still, the most notable thing about the boy was his cold, hard glare that bored straight into Gold, freezing him in place._

_Why… why can't I move,_ _Gold thought to himself. My body won't move!_

_The thief took a heavy book in hand and tossed it out the window. The sound of shattering glass snapped Gold out of his stupor._

_He stepped towards the thief as he shouted, "Hey, stop right there! I'm warning you!"_

_The thief scoffed. _

"_You? Stop me? How pathetic,"_ _he goaded. "You couldn't beat me if you tried."_

_And with that, the thief hopped out the window._

_Gold growled and ran after him, scooping a Pokeball off the ground as he ran._

…

"After that, I battled that guy for at least an hour," Gold said. "We almost made it Cherrygrove City when he…"

"When he beat you," the officer finished.

The comment struck Gold's pride like a sledgehammer, but he nodded.

"And that's when I came in," Grey continued. "I went after them when I found Elm on the floor and followed the kid's trail of destruction for a good hour, too. I don't know how I didn't run into the brats before when I came inta town, I must've just missed'em."

"Trail of destruction?!" Gold yelled indignantly.

"_Enough!"_ the officer yelled. He looked to Gold and snarled, "I've heard your side, can someone get him out of here?!"

"What?!"

Gold was then dragged kicking and screaming out of the interrogation room. "Let go of me!"

His yells went unheard as the door shut, closing him off from the woman that had unwittingly dragged the poor boy to jail.

The officer hauled the Gold down the dank, concrete hall towards the cells, struggling to keep his grip all the while.

"Geez, kid! Calm down, it's not like we've convicted you!"

"Lemme go!"

They stopped in front of an empty cell as the officer said, "We just need to verify what happened, it's not like you're being charged with anything!"

He was gruffly shoved into the cell, and the bars clanging shut echoed in Gold's mind. For a long moment he was paralyzed by a strange, all-consuming feeling like back in the Elm Lab. He paled as he realized what it was.

Fear.

…

The door shut with a metal clang, sealing Grey and the officer inside the interrogation room.

Grey sighed in relief. "Thank Arceus, that kid was gettin' on my-"

"Who are you?"

The officer glared at Grey, hands folded in front of his nose. "I know you're not just another trainer. Your Pokemon are too well-trained to be just another vagrant."

Grey scowled. "Is that all Pokemon trainers are these days? Vagrants?"

"Not the issue here," he said, waving off her protests. "We have no information on you, your Pokemon, or where you got _this_."

He tossed Grey's satchel on the table. Unbuckled as it was, a bulky piece of hardware spilled out onto the table – it was ovular in shape, a single piece of shiny metal with a glowing aperture in the center. At the moment the aperture was dull and almost shut.

The officer glared at her again. "Can you tell me what this is?"

Grey sighed. "It's a third generation MMD. Restricted and fitted with an anti-gravity module. I snap my fingers and I float in the air." She glared back at him. "Yer point bein'?"

"MMDs are expensive as it is, but an omni model? And a third gen at that? With all the other evidence, I'd say you're up to no good, 'Grey'."

She smirked. "MMDs aren't as rare as ya think."

"Shut up and tell me who you are! What is your name?!"

"Geez, ya don't have ta give me the third-degree, dude," Grey said snarkily. "Besides, I got several. Which one ya want?"

The officer growled and pinched his nose. "Just give me a straight answer. Who. Do. You. Work. For?"

Grey's eyebrows shot up. "Is that all ya needed ta know? If ya asked that in the first place I woulda told ya."

…

Gold was pacing around his cell. He had only been in for five minutes, and already he felt himself going stircrazy. He was a free spirit – he wasn't meant to be confined in a dull concrete cell! One could only count the bricks so many times.

_Sixty-two, sixty-three, sixty-four…_

A guard rushed past.

_Sixty-five, sixty-six…_

Another guard ran by, his shoes clapping against the concrete floor.

_Sixty-six, sixty-eight…_

Gold flinched. Did he just count a brick twice? Sighing to himself, resigned to his fate, he began to count the bricks again.

_One, two…_

A pair of guards trotted by. "What's this about?" one asked.

"Dunno," the other said. "Some big-shot. Figured checking it couldn't hurt, might even score some points higher up."

Gold frowned – did he miss something somewhere? They usually covered arrivals of chief inspectors and investigators in the news, so there was no way he _could've _missed it.

_Four, five…_

He growled. He miscounted again.

Gold was about to begin once more when a chatter of voices echoed down the hall. He tried to ignore it, but it grew so loud that it woke the smelly drunkard in the cell next to him. He grimaced when it seemed like the chatter stopped right outside his cell…

On second thought, it had.

He looked up to see a crowd of guards bickering, all surrounding someone he least expected.

"Well kid, looks like parole came," Grey said jokingly, smirking at his gaping mouth with hands on her hips. "And ya might wanna shut that before a moth flies in."

Time went into a sort of weird shift for Gold. He was aware that he left the cell, was told he was being released and sat in front of the local inspector for a lengthy apology, but it was like watching it through someone else's eyes. It was like the memory wasn't his.

Before he knew it he was being ushered out of the police station and found himself standing on a lonely sidewalk beside Grey. The station were outside the city itself, spitting distance from the dense forest that choked up much of Johto. The two were completely alone aside from curious officers peering at them from the windows.

He was snapped out of his stupor by Grey stretching as she groaned, "Hoo boy, that was a pain in the neck. Four hours of that crap, geez…"

Gold gawked at her. "Uh…"

Before he could say anything else a bottle of water was thrust into his chest.

"Here," she said. "They didn't give us any water in there. Bet yer thirsty, right?"

As soon as he saw the bottle he was aware – _very_ aware – that his throat felt dry and gummy, especially now that it was a hot midafternoon in Johto. He ripped off the cap and guzzled half of it down in seconds.

Grey sighed and looked up at a passing cloud. "Anyway, I got crap ta do. You should call home, I'm sure yer mom's worried about ya."

Her wistful tone went unnoticed by Gold. Instead, he gulped down the last of the water and threw it to the sidewalk. Grey watched it bounce off into the bushes and gave him a stern, sidelong glare.

"Uh, don't ya know that's littering?" she said. "Pick it up, we all gotta live in this world so-"

"Who are you?" he suddenly demanded.

"Huh?"

Gold jabbed a finger into Grey's shoulder. "Unless you're a cop you either bribed these guys off or blackmailed them! The Johto Police are hardasses, so I know they wouldn't just let us go!"

For a long moment Grey stared at Gold, before finally sighing and putting her hands on her hips. "Kid…" she groaned.

Gold growled and clenched his hands. "Who are you?"

Running a hand through her hair Grey said, "Kid, all ya need ta know is I'm on a better paygrade than the police."

With that she spun on her heel and headed into town, leaving Gold to stare at her back. "You should head home, get rested up. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime. Grow up a little though, might strangle ya next time if ya don't."

…

_I left Gold on that street, not knowing if he would continue on his journey or abandon it. Truth is he would go on his journey but for entirely different reasons. It was no longer just a favor for the local professor – no, now it was for revenge._

_But that's a story for another time._


End file.
